I cannot but think that Dr. Thirlwall has here been misled by
insufficient authority. He refers to the oration of Andokidês
de Mysteriis, sects. 106 and 78 (sect. 106 coincides in part
with ch. 18, in the ed. of Dobree). An attentive reading of
it will show that it is utterly unworthy of credit in regard
to matters anterior to the speaker by one generation or more.
The orators often permit themselves great license in speaking
of past facts, but Andokidês in this chapter passes the bounds
even of rhetorical license. First, he states something not
bearing the least analogy to the narrative of Herodotus as to
the circumstances preceding the expulsion of the Peisistratids,
and indeed tacitly setting aside that narrative; next, he
actually jumbles together the two capital and distinct exploits
of Athens,—the battle of Marathon and the repulse of Xerxês
ten years after it. I state this latter charge in the words of
Sluiter and Valckenaer, before I consider the former charge:
“Verissime ad hæc verba notat Valckenaerius—Confundere videtur
Andocidês diversissima; Persica sub Miltiade et Dario et
victoriam Marathoniam (v, 14)—quæque evenere sub Themistocle,
Xerxis gesta. Hic urbem incendio delevit, non ille (v, 20).
Nihil magis manifestum est, quam diversa ab oratore confundi.”
(Sluiter, Lection. Andocideæ, p. 147.)
The criticism of these commentators is perfectly borne out by the
words of the orator, which are too long to find a place here.
But immediately prior to those words he expresses himself as
follows, and this is the passage which serves as Dr. Thirlwall’s
authority: Οἱ γὰρ πατέρες οἱ ὑμέτεροι, γενομένων τῇ πόλει κακῶν
μεγάλων, ὅτε οἱ τύραννοι εἶχον τὴν πόλιν, ὁ δὲ δῆμος ἔφυγε,
νικήσαντες μαχόμενοι τοὺς τυράννους ἐπὶ Παλληνίῳ, στρατηγοῦντος
Λεωγόρου τοῦ προπάππου τοῦ ἐμοῦ, καὶ Χαρίου οὗ ἐκεῖνος τὴν
θυγατέρα εἶχεν ἐξ ἧς ὁ ἡμέτερος ἦν πάππος, κατελθόντες εἰς τὴν
πατρίδα τοὺς μὲν ἀπέκτειναν, τῶν δὲ φυγὴν κατέγνωσαν, τοὺς δὲ
μένειν ἐν τῇ πόλει ἐάσαντες ἠτίμωσαν.
Both Sluiter (Lect. And. p. 8) and Dr. Thirlwall (Hist. p. 80)
refer this alleged victory of Leogoras and the Athenian demus to
the action described by Herodotus (v, 64) as having been fought
by Kleomenês of Sparta against the Thessalian cavalry. But the
two events have not a single circumstance in common, except
that each is a victory over the Peisistratidæ or their allies:
nor could they well be the same event, described in different
terms, seeing that Kleomenês, marching from Sparta to Athens,
could not have fought the Thessalians at Pallênê, which lay on
the road from _Marathon_ to Athens. Pallênê was the place where
Peisistratus, advancing from Marathon to Athens, on occasion of
his second restoration, gained his complete victory over the
opposing party, and marched on afterwards to Athens without
farther resistance (Herodot. i, 63).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account